BY JOHN DECOSTE

jdecoste@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

The Acadia Minor Hockey Association will host the Hockey Nova Scotia Atom A provincials this coming weekend at the Glooscap Arena in Canning. It will be the first provincial minor hockey tournament ever hosted in Canning.

Many of the best 9-10-year-old players in the province will take part in the tournament, which will feature teams from Port Hood, Bedford, Dartmouth and West Colchester as well as the host Junior Axemen.

“We’re really looking forward to what should be an exciting weekend for players, coaches, parents and fans,” says AMHA president Laurie Dauphinee. “We’d like to welcome all the visiting teams and wish them the best.”

He added, “from an association perspective, we feel the tournament organizing committee, made up totally of parent volunteers, has done an outstanding job.”

The Acadia team has had a busy and relatively successful season on the ice while at the same time promoting skill development, fun and fair play.

“What I like about it,” says Everett MacPherson, one of the Axemen coaches, “is we have players from throughout the Eastern Kings area: from Grand-Pre to Coldbrook, Wolfville, New Minas, Kentville, Centreville, Canning and as far away as Blomidon.”

Main focus is on fun

While this will be a competitive tournament for all participating teams, the main focus at the Atom A level is on skill development and having fun.

MacPherson said, for the Axemen, “the objective will be to have fun and do the best we can while gaining valuable experience for our players.”

He and fellow coaches Ken Borden, Dale Hancock, Mike Ward and Paul Murphy “have been developing the kids all season to peak at provincials. While I wouldn’t consider us the favorites to win, at this level just about anything is possible.”

And win or lose, “the kids can only learn from the experience,” which is the whole idea.

MacPherson said he’s looking forward to taking part in the tournament. “At this age (9-10), it’s pure hockey,” he says. “It’s all about playing the game. They give it their all, and win or lose, there’s a smile on every face.”

The tournament gets underway Friday, March 28 at 4 p.m., with the opening ceremonies set for 5:30 p.m. The entire weekend schedule is as follows:

Friday, 4 p.m. Acadia vs. Bedford

6 p.m. Dartmouth vs. West Colchester

8 p.m. Bedford vs. Port Hood

Saturday, 8:30 a.m. West Colchester vs. Acadia

10:30 a.m. Dartmouth vs. Bedford

12:30 p.m. Port Hood vs. Acadia

2:30 p.m. Skills Competition

4 p.m. Bedford vs. West Colchester

6 p.m. Port Hood vs. Dartmouth

Sunday, 8:30 p.m. West Colchester vs. Port Hood

10:30 a.m. Acadia vs. Dartmouth

2 p.m. Championship (second place vs. first place)